Import/export HS code 391231: Carboxymethylcellulose and its salts
A type of cellulose derivative used as a thickener or stabiliser in food and industrial products
Why this is important if you are looking for potential customers in the UK:
- It helps you understand the market size for your product in the UK.
- It provides you with a list of potential leads who have bought similar products.
* UK only, last 24 months analysed
Imports by country
What this shows: Import market volume by exporter country into the UK.
Top 5 values
| Country | £ |
|---|---|
| France | 6,847,209 |
| Finland | 4,007,615 |
| Netherlands | 3,151,125 |
| Germany | 2,126,866 |
| Belgium | 1,925,057 |
Countries rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Countries are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month volume, right side by second 12-month volume, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Country | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| France | 3,815,660 | 3,031,549 | -784,111 |
| Finland | 2,754,904 | 1,252,711 | -1,502,193 |
| Netherlands | 1,804,160 | 1,346,965 | -457,195 |
| Germany | 821,681 | 1,305,185 | +483,504 |
| Belgium | 547,441 | 1,377,616 | +830,175 |
| Switzerland | 470,526 | 1,065,893 | +595,367 |
| China | 584,956 | 677,927 | +92,971 |
| Italy | 534,662 | 300,702 | -233,960 |
| Ireland | 463,589 | 237,788 | -225,801 |
| Turkey | 302,540 | 157,108 | -145,432 |
Imports by country of origin
What this shows: Import volume by production origin country. Differences from exporter-country data can indicate re-export routes.
Top 5 values
| Origin | £ |
|---|---|
| France | 7,391,948 |
| Finland | 6,415,427 |
| Germany | 2,528,147 |
| China | 1,728,410 |
| Italy | 955,322 |
Country of origin rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Origin countries are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month import value, right side by second 12-month import value, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Origin | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| France | 3,723,195 | 3,668,753 | -54,442 |
| Finland | 3,683,831 | 2,731,596 | -952,235 |
| Germany | 1,058,410 | 1,469,737 | +411,327 |
| China | 940,162 | 788,248 | -151,914 |
| Italy | 552,766 | 402,556 | -150,210 |
| Brazil | 429,289 | 432,681 | +3,392 |
| Netherlands | 593,508 | 249,442 | -344,066 |
| Turkey | 547,971 | 287,650 | -260,321 |
| Taiwan | 203,446 | 151,502 | -51,944 |
| Austria | 104,265 | 107,428 | +3,163 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Inner London - West | 8 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 7 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 6 |
| Inner London - East | 5 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 4 |
UK regions rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: UK regions are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month importer count, right side by second 12-month importer count, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| UK region | First 12m | Second 12m | Delta |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inner London - West | 6 | 8 | +2 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 4 | 6 | +2 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 6 | 4 | -2 |
| Inner London - East | 4 | 3 | -1 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 3 | 3 | +0 |
| Cheshire | 4 | 3 | -1 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 1 | 4 | +3 |
| Cambridgeshire and Peterborough | 3 | 2 | -1 |
| Merseyside | 3 | 2 | -1 |
| North Somerset, Somerset and Dorset | 3 | 3 | +0 |
Import volume by transport
What this shows: Import value by transport mode used to bring goods into the UK.
Top 5 values
| Transport | £ |
|---|---|
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 17,237,057 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 4,754,105 |
| Other | 888,735 |
| Air transport | 672,383 |
| Road transport | 1,140 |
Transport rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Transport modes are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month import value, right side by second 12-month import value, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Transport | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 9,318,066 | 7,918,991 | -1,399,075 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 2,497,231 | 2,256,874 | -240,357 |
| Other | 318,528 | 570,207 | +251,679 |
| Air transport | 333,125 | 339,258 | +6,133 |
| Road transport | 0 | 1,140 | +1,140 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover | 5,538,003 |
| Portsmouth | 3,002,821 |
| Felixstowe | 2,807,112 |
| Immingham Docks | 2,633,328 |
| Newhaven | 1,835,437 |
Port rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Ports are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month import value, right side by second 12-month import value, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Port | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dover | 2,811,134 | 2,726,869 | -84,265 |
| Portsmouth | 1,626,412 | 1,376,409 | -250,003 |
| Felixstowe | 1,856,924 | 950,188 | -906,736 |
| Immingham Docks | 1,280,339 | 1,352,989 | +72,650 |
| Newhaven | 872,576 | 962,861 | +90,285 |
| Purfleet | 403,615 | 664,222 | +260,607 |
| London | 749,673 | 238,648 | -511,025 |
| 000 | 318,528 | 570,207 | +251,679 |
| Harwich | 304,435 | 351,123 | +46,688 |
| Liverpool Docks | 121,546 | 480,805 | +359,259 |
Importer companies by SIC division
What this shows: Industry breakdown (SIC divisions) of importing companies.
Top 5 values
| SIC | Companies |
|---|---|
| Wholesale trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 15 |
| Manufacture of chemicals and chemical products | 11 |
| Manufacture of food products | 10 |
| Manufacture of basic pharmaceutical products and pharmaceutical preparations | 9 |
| Manufacture of paper and paper products | 6 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-01 | 22 |
| 2025-11 | 20 |
| 2025-10 | 24 |
| 2025-09 | 17 |
| 2025-08 | 19 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| ASHLAND SPECIALTIES UK LIMITED | 48 |
| ESSITY UK LIMITED | 46 |
| BRITVIC SOFT DRINKS LIMITED | 45 |
| DANISCO (UK) LIMITED | 45 |
| NORKEM LIMITED | 44 |
| AZELIS UK LIMITED | 43 |
| SIGMA-ALDRICH COMPANY LIMITED | 42 |
| SCHLUMBERGER OILFIELD UK LIMITED | 41 |
| PME CAKE LIMITED | 41 |
| COLORCON LIMITED | 39 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 54m+ | 43 |
| 1m-15m | 24 |
| 15m-54m | 13 |
| 0-1m | 4 |
| Other | 4 |
Import seasonality
What this shows: Average monthly import pattern from historical data.
Exports by country
What this shows: Export market volume by destination country from the UK.
Top 5 values
| Country | £ |
|---|---|
| Turkey | 403,254 |
| United States | 312,064 |
| Ireland | 149,219 |
| Netherlands | 130,247 |
| Germany | 107,156 |
Export countries rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Destination countries are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month export volume, right side by second 12-month export volume, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Country | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turkey | 85,507 | 317,747 | +232,240 |
| United States | 188,291 | 123,773 | -64,518 |
| Ireland | 69,129 | 80,090 | +10,961 |
| Netherlands | 96,357 | 33,890 | -62,467 |
| Germany | 89,254 | 17,902 | -71,352 |
| Bulgaria | 46,979 | 33,621 | -13,358 |
| Spain | 50,534 | 8,547 | -41,987 |
| China | 21,605 | 31,307 | +9,702 |
| Morocco | 50,932 | 0 | -50,932 |
| France | 23,078 | 13,327 | -9,751 |
Export volume by transport
What this shows: Export value by transport mode used to ship goods from the UK.
Top 5 values
| Transport | £ |
|---|---|
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 775,228 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 638,402 |
| Air transport | 144,055 |
Export transport rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Transport modes are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month export value, right side by second 12-month export value, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Transport | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 322,316 | 452,912 | +130,596 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 367,730 | 270,672 | -97,058 |
| Air transport | 98,173 | 45,882 | -52,291 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 389,006 |
| Grangemouth Docks | 316,650 |
| Liverpool Docks | 267,284 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 89,481 |
| Immingham Docks | 83,906 |
Export port rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Ports are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month export value, right side by second 12-month export value, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Port | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 224,132 | 164,874 | -59,258 |
| Grangemouth Docks | 0 | 316,650 | +316,650 |
| Liverpool Docks | 145,211 | 122,073 | -23,138 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 51,953 | 37,528 | -14,425 |
| Immingham Docks | 76,997 | 6,909 | -70,088 |
| Holyhead | 37,150 | 42,758 | +5,608 |
| Heysham | 20,497 | 33,972 | +13,475 |
| Aberdeen Docks | 50,932 | 0 | -50,932 |
| Portsmouth | 39,407 | 0 | -39,407 |
| Harwich | 38,335 | 0 | -38,335 |
Quick facts
HS code: 391231
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: A type of cellulose derivative used as a thickener or stabiliser in food and industrial products